Excellent film, loaded with enough to reach every emotion imaginable, and possibly some you never knew you had. Good in every aspect, from acting, direction, sets, and overall production.
The film will grab you and likely hold you riveted to it, leaving you to wonder what could possibly happen next. Will it be an 'up' or another 'down'?
Find out. Watch it - you won't regret it.

Aka: Tough Girl (American re-issue title).

Filmed in San Francisco (exteriors) and Republic Studios, Los Angeles (interiors) in 1945; released in 1946.

Setting: San Francisco, 1946.

Adapted from a story by journalist, novelist, screenwriter Adela Rogers St. Johns (née Adela Nora Rogers; May 20, 1894, Los Angeles, CA – August 10, 1988, Arroyo Grande, CA) She wrote a number of screenplays for both silent and sound films. She is best remembered for her groundbreaking exploits as a "girl reporter" during the 1920s and 1930s. Writing in a distinctive, emotional style, St. Johns reported on, among other subjects, the controversial Jack Dempsey–Gene Tunney "long-count" fight in 1927 and the treatment of the poor during the Great Depression. In 1962 she published Final Verdict, a biography of her father, the famous criminal defense attorney Earl Rogers. The book was adapted for a TNT television film in 1991; Olivia Burnette portrayed the young Nora Rogers. In 1976, at the age of 82, she returned to reporting for the Examiner to cover the bank robbery and conspiracy trial of Patty Hearst, granddaughter of her former employer. In 1980, she appeared to great effect in the television documentary series Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film. Her animated and forthright commentaries on such stars of the period including Rudolph Valentino, Greta Garbo and Gloria Swanson were a highlight of this much lauded series. In 1981, she appeared with other early twentieth-century figures as one of the 'witnesses' in Warren Beatty's Reds. St. Johns was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on April 22, 1970.

Screenplay: Doris Anderson

Music Score: George Antheil

Photography: Jack Marta

Produced and directed by Alfred Santell (1895 - 1981). Santell directed over 60 films beginning in 1917. Early in his career, he was also billed as 'Al Santell'. He started as a general factotum at Lubin in 1914, but quickly worked his way up to directing one-and two-reel short comedies for Mack Sennett, Hal Roach and at Kalem. He helmed his first feature films during the 1920's. Santell successfully made the transition to sound and reliably turned out many B-movies and the occasional A-grader for 20th Century Fox (1929-33), RKO (1934-35), Paramount (1936-42) and United Artists (1943-44). His best known features include Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1932), Aloma of the South Seas (1941) and the biopic Jack London (1943). Santell retired from films in 1946 and died on June 19, 1981 in Salinas, California.

CAST:
James Dunn as Denny Reagan aka Prof. Who's Its
Mona Freeman as Ziggy Brennan
William Marshall as CPO Martin J. 'Mart' Neilson
June Duprez as Natalie Brennan
Frank Jenks as Joe the Cabbie
Dorothy Vaughan as Mrs. Reagan, Denny's Mother
Charles Arnt as Fred, Natalie's 2nd Husband
Rosalind Ivan as Mrs. Merryman the Nosey Landlady
Fay Helm as Helen, Ziggy's Neighbor
Bill Kennedy as Arthur, Helen's Husband
Connie Leon as Miss Jane, Merryman Resident
Edythe Elliott as Miss Unity, Jane's Sister
Sarah Padden as Mrs. Graves, the Nice Landlady
Jean Stevens as Dottie, Natalie's Friend
Lucien Littlefield as The Florist
Marion Martin as Marion, Natalie's Girl Friend

Anyone who's ever been a parent or run across bad luck as one will need kleenex's for this one.
A young woman brought up by a really rotten mother learns the ropes to taking men for their money and general thievery then meets a fine young man, gets married and has a kid. But he gets killed right away in the war so she's left on her own and begins to miss the fast life and hires a babysitter who is all but useless. She gets her kid taken away from her and one of her old cronies from the thievery world re-enters her life.
This movie could be every bit a brand new movie today as any time in recorded history and the story is as old as any told and will never fail to rip anyone's heart out any time, any place or any year. Definitely one of the most underrated flicks I've seen.

But starts to lose its pace in the middle. Surprisingly adult theme for the time period. I got the impression the film got the green light while the war was still going on and they had to adapt the story to accomodate current events.